TRANS AM: Trans-Am Series Announces Mid-Ohio Weekend
Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
April 14, 2001Miami - The Trans-Am Series for the BFGoodrich Tires Cup has announced a schedule addition, the Trans-Am Series 100, to be held at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on the weekend of August 25-26.
The event will serve as the ninth race on the 11 race Trans-Am Series for the BFGoodrich Tires Cup schedule. The Trans-Am Series will join the American Le Mans Series at the 13-turn, 2.25- mile road course in Lexington, Ohio. This will be the 22nd appearance by the Trans-Am Series at Mid-Ohio.
The race, to be run on Saturday, August 25, will be televised by the Trans-Am Series’ longtime media partner, Speedvision. The broadcast schedule has not been announced.
“We have been looking at several options to replace the San Diego Grand Prix,” said executive director John Clagett. “After evaluating our options and looking at the current schedule, Mid-Ohio was the logical choice. This date, which is just one week after the Road America round, will minimize the travel on our teams and competitors.”
“The Trans-Am Series has a long and storied history at Mid-Ohio,” continued Clagett. “Prominent drivers such as Mark Donohue, Peter Gregg, Willy T. Ribbs, Greg Pickett, Scott Pruett, Dorsey Schroeder and Paul Gentilozzi have all won there.”
Gentilozzi has been dominant in winning the last two Trans-Am Series races at Mid-Ohio. In 1998, Gentilozzi led 39 of 45 laps to hold off teammate Bill Saunders. In the 1999 race, Gentilozzi started from the pole and led all 45 laps of the 100-mile race to pick up his 12th career victory.
“Mid-Ohio is one of the best real road racing tracks in the world,” said Gentilozzi. “A track like this brings us, as a series, back to the true roots of road racing, and that has to be considered. The fans who come to a race at Mid-Ohio are hard-core, knowledgable road racing fans and we need to continue to cultivate that.”
Current Trans-Am Series drivers Brian Simo, Johnny Miller, Lou Gigliotti, Bob Ruman, Randy Ruhlman, Peter Shea, G.J. Mennen, Michael Lewis, Leighton Reese and Steve Pelke have all posted top-10 finishes at Mid-Ohio.
Races for the Trans-Am Series for the BFGoodrich Tires Cup and the American Le Mans Series have been incorporated into a scheduled NeOhio Region-SCCA National event, happening August 24-26, creating a spectacular weekend of road racing action. Both the Trans-Am and ALMS races will be run on Saturday of the weekend, with SCCA club racing on both Saturday and Sunday. Qualifying and practice for the ALMS and Trans-Am events will be held on Friday.
Round three of the Trans-Am Series for the BFGoodrich Tires Cup will be held on May 20 at Mosport International Raceway in Bowmanville, Ontario. The Mosport race will be the first of three 125-mile pit stop races this season.
Text provided by David Lang
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